Heat Wave
by Soss
Summary: Heat waves and blackouts will make you do some crazy things.. [yeah, you're right. Fullon KIBBS]
1. Chapter 1

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She wished she hadn't damned the air conditioner for being so noisy. She regretted cursing at the fan for the unnerving 'crreeeaaak' it made as it oscillated for her benefit. She wish she would've just… live and let live. But nope. She didn't.

Kate lay with her bare back against the cool tile of her kitchen floor, sprawled out like when they used to make snow angels out in her front yard. **_Snow_**… She groaned and rubbed her face with her free hand, the other carefully cradling her cell phone to her ear.

"You ok, Kate?" Abby's voice reeled her back in.

"Yeah.. I accidentally thought about winter. And now I wanna cry..." she moaned lightly as she turned over onto her stomach. A soft "Mmmm" of delight escaped her lips. She was convinced that the coolness of the ceramic tile would die away any second, as it would slowly succumb to the smoldering heat of her apartment.

Abby laughed sympathetically, "Sorry, Kate… hey, you should have a McGee to go to when the power goes out... But hey, you know, I _feel_ your pain," Abby cupped her hand to the receiver and whispered, "Tim doesn't have _cable_."

Kate could hear a faint protest in the background, and she couldn't help but smile a little. The amusement faded when she remembered her circumstance. "Does his AC work?"

"Well… yeah, it does, but—"

"Then shut your mouth."

Abby laughed quietly and then whispered, "You know… there _were_ always rumors about _Gibbs_…"

Kate had her eyes closed as she flipped onto her back again, splayed out in her underwear. She frowned. "What about him? ..And what the hell does he have to do with my present suffering, Abs." Kate replied, frustrated. Her boss already affected her thermostat in a way no power outage could possibly curb— she didn't need to be reminded of it either.

"Rumor has it that he has.. a pool."

Kate's eyes snapped open. "A what?"

"Mmmhmmm…"

"A pool." Kate said flatly, suspiciously.

"Yup."

"Abby, are you—"

"A _pool_, Kate… and yes of course I'm sure! Well, I'm sure about the _rumors_. Whether they're true or not.. well. You could always investigate, Kate.. like the little agent you aaare…" Kate could feel Abby's goofy grin steadily bearing down on her through the phone. She sighed. A pool…

"I don't even have a bathing suit, Abby."

"What do you need a suit for?"

"Abby..!" Kate cried in amused disbelief. "I'm not—"

"Kate. It's 3 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. You think he's awake, let alone sitting outside on his back patio? C'mon woman…"

Kate grumbled her opinion of her mixed feelings. "And I'm guessing you wouldn't consider com—"

"Oh, oh oh. No _way_, Jose. I'm fine with my current housing arrangements." Abby smiled, looking over at McGee, who just shook his head at her incredulously. She turned her attention back to the phone, "Are you really gonna go?"

Kate sat up; she could feel her back peel from the white tile with a hot stickiness that she couldn't imagine tolerating for another second. "_Maybe_." Kate groaned as she got up off the floor, and she continued before Abby had the chance to put in any more of her ideas, "You know, I'm going to call the super, Abs."

"Ooookay.. but if you decide to—"

"I'll let you know." Kate smiled and shook her head. "G'night, Abby.. tell Tim for me."

"I will…! 'Niight, Kate." Abby smiled as she hung up the phone, tossing it onto the other side of the bed.

McGee looked at her accusingly, "What did you just do…"

The back of Kate's thighs stuck to the hot, black leather of her car seat with what felt like a wicked vengeance. She managed to get to Gibbs' block without a hitch or a wrong turn. She'd been there before, but for nothing other than to drop something off, or maybe pick him up once or twice. But never had she been inside, past the inside of the front door, and certainly never the backyard.

She parked a block away from his house and safely out of view. Kate vowed revenge against the lab rat, should this plan turn sour: if Gibbs in fact _didn't_ have a pool, Abby would pay— but if she got _caught_… Abby was a dead woman. Kate nodded her own silent affirmation of her vengeance as she left her keys under her floor mat and started down the street in her cut-offs and tank top. She clutched a towel to her chest as she got closer to Gibbs' house.

Kate stood at the curb, carefully hidden behind the large oak tree on his lawn, and made a careful survey of the house. No lights were on, and all the windows appeared to be shut. _Lucky bastard has central air, s_he thought with a jealous bite. Her heated suffering surpassed whatever logic Kate may have had left— whatever hadn't melted into a clammy oblivion, left in a tepid pool on her car seat.

She snaked quietly through a small brush of trees that ran along his property line, stopping and hushing her movement with every branch she stepped on. After a few seconds of silence, she was satisfied and confident to continue the trek towards the backyard. As she rounded the corner of his house, she stopped dead in her tracks. A small whimper choked in the back of her throat.

"Yessssss…" Kate hissed. The backyard was pitch-black, except for the shimmer of the moon that reflected off the surface of Gibbs' in-ground pool.

It took everything inside of her to keep the excitement down to a dull roar as she hurried through the grass and made a beeline for the pool's deep end. She walked while she stripped; stripped out of her shorts and her tank left her standing in Gibbs' backyard in nothing but her underwear. As she was about to seat herself on the edge so she could slip in silently, she stopped and had a thought. Logic was something that Kate had in abundance. But now… not so much. She thought about being able to say she was in Gibbs' pool. Naked. It gave her a sharp thrill as a small smirk spread across her face. Abby would flip. And Tony, not that she'd ever dream of telling Dinozzo, but he'd never believe her anyway.

She nibbled on her bottom lip, and turned her head to look at the house once again. Not a single movement. She stood in the dark and disrobed further, dropping her bra and underwear onto a growing pile of clothes. Kate carefully slipped into the pool, letting a large sigh of utter content flow from her as she completely submerged herself. She wondered if it were possible to sleep in someone else's pool, undetected. And without drowning.

She floated and swam aimlessly in Gibbs' pool, sighing repeatedly and loving every moment of cool relief. She mentally scolded Abby for not suggesting this sooner.

Kate usually wasn't one to operate by the stars or any other kind of celestial compass, but she suddenly realized she had been there a while, as the moon was in a very different place now. She mentally wept at having to leave; having to voluntarily heave herself out of this outrageous pool of happiness—but the thought of Gibbs catching her… she didn't even want to think about it.

Kate reached for the metal ladder on the side of the pool, and just as her fingers brushed against the stainless steel, a flood light in the backyard illuminated the entire patio. Kate and the pool included. She froze, still immersed in the water, and could only gape and stare at her pile of clothes, just out of reach. _Oh, **holy** hell._

She blinked slowly and turned her face in the direction of the house. And there he stood, leaning against the railing of the deck, watching her intently. She closed her eyes and took her hands off the ladder, submersing herself even further, up to her neck.

She watched him walk down the deck steps slowly, leisurely making his way across the cement and down the length of the pool. He had his arms crossed, his hair was softly mussed, and he wore a white t-shirt and… _Are those boxers_? Kate inwardly groaned and sank down in the water, her head going below the water line. When she emerged, she found that he had planted himself with his hands on the ladder rails, squatting down and sitting on his heels. He stared at her with an expression Kate couldn't quite place. Her eyes darted everywhere, around the yard, then over his face, before finally settling on his eyes.

His eyes were dark and his mouth didn't show any signs of smirking, not anytime soon. Kate recognized this look. It was the glare before the head slap.

"Kate…"

"Gibbs…"

"You're in my pool, Kate."

Kate swallowed and nodded. "Yup."

His eyes fell on her clothes piled at his feet. He furrowed his brow before raising his eyebrows in question, looking to her. A deep blush crossed Kate's cheeks; he could see it clearly even through the shadows that played across her face. He held her eyes, and visually milked every last iota of her mental strength. He reached out his hand, holding out a towel, not hers but one of his, and spoke softly, "You could've just _asked_, Kate."

She floated tense and speechless. Closing her mouth, her eyes fluttered to the towel and back up to his face before gently taking it from him. Her voice came out hoarse, "Gibbs, I'm kind of… well. You know…" She gently motioned his attention back to the clothes at his feet.

His mouth quirked and he cleared his throat. "Right." He stood up and backed away from the ladder, slowly turning his back to her. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked to his feet and listened as she climbed out of the pool, wrapping his towel securely around her. He wondered if it was a little sick to have the thought of never-washing-that-towel-again run through his head. She brought him out of his reflection with a soft brush of her finger tips against his wrist. Gibbs turned around to her and folded his arms in front of him, his eyes smiled wickedly at her.

"I was just.. it was just so… hot." She sighed out the end of her sentence, hoping for a bit of sympathy, but would have been just as happy to not witness a "this is my private life" speech.

Gibbs nodded. "Your power went out…" he asked, but slightly stated. At her look of confusion, he nodded and shrugged. "It was on the news— your neighborhood." It was Kate's turn to nod. She wet her lips and nervously looked past him.

"You can come in if you want. It's going to start to get hot again soon."

Kate cringed at the thought of it being any hotter than this. She shook her head and looked to him. "It's got to be 4 o'clock in the morning, Gibbs… you really don't have to—"

"4:30. But what's the difference." He gave her a warm smile before he bent down to pick up her clothes. Holding them in the crook of one arm, he put a hand on the small of her back, directing her towards the house.

Not letting an opportunity to be concealed in an air conditioned house pass her by, she allowed him to guide her. Miss being closed up in _Gibbs'_ air conditioned house? She thought not.

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N: There probably will be more... anything's possible :) Enjoy :)

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Kate sat alone on the couch, checking and rechecking the placement and security of her towel. She shivered slightly under the merciless combination of a blasting air conditioner and of pool water slowly drying on her skin. Her hair hung in damp, messy strands around her face as she stared at the darkened hallway where Gibbs had disappeared. 

She held the towel tight and secure to her chest with one hand, as the other fingered the small hem of terry cloth that draped over the middle of her thigh. With her knees pressed firmly together, she lightly bounced her legs off the balls of her feet; from nerves, and the slight chill that ran through her. _Cold…? How could you even **possibly** be cold._ She quietly laughed at her own irony.

"What's funny?" Gibbs walked into the room with two cups of coffee, looking at her intently as he slowly came to stand in front of her.

Kate shook her head with a chuckle and a smile. "Nothing— I… I was just thinking, about how it was kind of _cold_ in here." She looked up from the floor to glance at his face, taking a careful reading of his eyes. He smirked and nodded his head as he looked away from her for a second.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" He said slowly, bringing his gaze back to hers as he handed her a cup of coffee. He sat back in the arm chair that faced the couch. Gibbs studied her, grinning in amusement as a slight fluster passed across her face. Kate took a sip from her cup to try and hide it.

She nodded and brought the mug down to her lap. With a sudden look of confusion, her lips pursed and formed a small "o" as she glanced up to him. "Where are my clothes?" He smiled silently. "No.. Gibbs… where are my clothes?"

Gibbs took another long swig of coffee before nodding to the mug in her hands. "Finish." Kate opened her mouth to say something quick-tempered, but she closed it; her lips formed a firm line. Which turned into a slight scowl as she fully realized the fact that she was sitting in front of Gibbs in nothing more than a towel. The frown quickly became a fierce blush that spread swiftly across her cheeks.

He grinned as he downed the rest of his strong coffee with a quick motion of his wrist and stood up. "You can stay. If you want." A gleam in his eyes dared her, calling her on. He nodded and turned, heading back to what she imagined was the kitchen. He called back to her, "I left a pile of clothes in the downstairs bathroom."

Kate smiled and continued her coffee, finishing it fast. She got up and headed to what could have been the way to the bathroom, but she stopped. She instead followed his direction to the kitchen and stood in the door frame, watching him wash out the empty coffee pot. He looked over his shoulder at her, catching her off guard; she wrapped her fingers around the mug in her hands.

"You decide?" He asked, looking at her with raised eyebrows before turning back to the sink. She walked into the kitchen, having tied a careful knot in her towel, and snaked an arm around him, placing her mug in the sink. She carefully withdrew.

"Why aren't you mad..." Kate leaned against the counter and squinted at him. He gave her a side glance before returning to the dishes. "Why aren't you _mad _that I'm trespassing into your private life at 4 o'clock in the morning..?"

Gibbs finished washing and dried his hands with a dish towel. He mirrored her; leaning against the counter, his hands gently gripping the edge behind him, his arm softly brushing up against hers. There was the humidity again.. Kate swallowed her thoughts and waited. He turned his head to look at her.

"Should I be?"

She stared at him suspiciously before her expression slowly softened, her eyebrows rose to delicately crease her forehead. They stared at one another for what must have been several minutes before Kate looked away and sighed. As she was tracing the tiles on the floor with invisible outlines, her head gently snapped up. She pushed herself away from the counter and turned her body to face him, crossing her arms across her chest. Her head tilted softly to the side as she smirked and squinted her eyes in skeptical amusement.

"How long did you know…"

The indescribable flash that passed across his face gave him away to her. He shook his head slowly, his eyes still on her. "What do you—"

Her smirk broadened into a full fledged grin. "How long did you know I was out there, Gibbs…"

He knew that she knew, and his face of confusion turned into an open-mouthed, laughing smile as he looked away from her and chuckled. She gasped and feigned her angry, unsuccessfully, as she chuckled right beside him. Kate took several quick steps towards him, beginning to cross their silent boundary as she gently poked her index finger to his chest, punctuating her words, "You _knew_!" She laughed and smiled, an eyebrow raised and she poked him again him lightly in the chest.

He swiftly clasped a hand around her wrist, causing her a sharp, unconscious intake of breath. She swallowed, but couldn't find any cognizant reason to protest this sudden closeness, especially when he began to lightly rub his thumb against the soft inside of her wrist. He could feel her breathing hike up a notch, could see the tips of her ears turn red, could feel her other hand come up and rest on his forearm for steadying support. And she could feel the knot in her towel slowly coming undone. She yelped softly in an awkward protest, as she knew she'd never be fast enough to wrestle out of his grip **and** catch her towel simultaneously. But before any visual damage could be done, Gibbs released her and slid both of his hands to either side of her underneath her arms, gently brushing against her breasts through the terry cloth. He expertly held her towel in place.

He looked down at his fast save and silently, subconsciously cursed at himself for doing such a stupid, _stupid_ thing. His fingers flexed against her covered skin as she visibly and heavily swallowed; his jaw clenched vaguely as his thumbs brushed the soft area of skin delicately exposed beneath her arms. She unconsciously moved her body millimeters closer; her eyes flitted to every vacant point on his chest before his harmless shoulder became her new site of fascination. Even completely doused in chlorine, he could still smell her: sweet and heady. His grip on her tightened ever so slightly.

"Thanks." Kate whispered hoarsely, faintly hanging her head. She swallowed her pride, her embarrassment, her desire, and looked up to him, seeing his eyes already focused on her carefully. He gave her a nod with a calm "No problem."

His face was definitely closer than she had anticipated.. Her hands trembled slightly against his chest, her mouth opened in response, but she just couldn't— _…and cue the adrenaline_, she thought silently.

Kate wet her lips as she quickly closed the small gap between them, pressing her lips to his with a soft, swift impulse that he had secretly hoped for. But before he had a chance to physically respond, she pulled her lips away and began her careful, silent, apologetic retreat. He let out a soft grunt as he tugged at her towel that he still had in his hands; he twisted it in such a way that he now held each corner in a hand, with the opening of her towel precariously drifting down the middle of her body. She looked to him, wide-eyed with a sense of "what-the-hell-are-you-doing," before he pulled the edges of the towel closer, Kate being drawn along with it without a choice. He tugged her body flush against his; her now naked front dangerously pressed up against him; a stifled groan escaped her as she balled her fists on top of his chest.

"You decide yet, Kate..?" he gruffed lightly into her hair, as his lips brushed her temple while he waited. She absently rubbed her cheek against his with an indecipherable murmur. Gibbs smirked into her hair, pressing the towel against her back; he figured he'd at least attempt to keep her somewhat covered... but something told him she wasn't as concerned.

Kate suddenly leaned back slightly in order to look at him head-on. Her eyes flickered with an easing suspicion and something he would have normally categorized as heavy lust. But he wasn't so sure that it was that simple. Not with her. This was a mixture— a dangerous, heady fusion of lust, warmth, fear, affection, and want. Something Gibbs could taste thickly on his tongue, even in their negligible distance.

And he went that small distance and hotly locked her lips with his, softly searching and maneuvering, pressing his hand firmly against her lower back. The subdued moan that seeped from her and drifted into his mouth only urged him on; swiping softly at her bottom lip with his tongue, he urged her on in turn.

Kate smiled and mumbled a soft endearment against his mouth before engaging in a full blown session of lips, lust, love, and something else inexpressible. Gibbs trailed his lips down her neck, murmuring his own sweet nothings as a hand ran up the length of her thigh, lifting it slightly and hitching it up against his own. She chuckled deeply with an entangled groan. She went to press her lips against his, her hands resting on either side of his neck.. and the power went out. The kitchen was instantaneously engulfed in a slowly ebbing cool darkness.

Her hands fell to his shoulders as she mumbled against his lips. "Sonuvabitch."

A chuckle deeply resonated in Gibbs' chest. He let the towel drop.

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	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Well, I think this is the end. Really. The end. I think. :) But yes. I wanted to thank everyone for the continuing wonderful reviews. I love them :) I got a little stuck towards the end, but I hope it worked out to everyone's liking-- This is for all you Kibbs-ers out there, and especially for Kibbslover, because one of her comments sparked this last part :) Hope this heat is treating everyone kinder than I! Take care all, and most of all.. enjoy._

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Kate lay across the stone kitchen floor with her stomach and chest pressed flat against the chilled slate. She tried to get as close to the ground as she possibly could without actually melting through the floorboards. She never thought something so high-school as "heat rises" could be so true. _On so many levels, _she smirked as she looked over in the direction of her blackout companion. Gibbs sat next to her, his back leaning against one of the counter cabinets as he trailed his fingertips meditatively down the middle of her back in constant, repetitive strokes.

"Pool or basement." Gibbs mumbled thoughtfully; his eyes were closed and the kitchen was barely bathed in the dim haze of the early morning, but he felt her gaze on him. He opened one eye and looked down to her.

"Can't we do both..?" Kate carefully turned over onto her back and sat up, covering her front with the towel as she deftly rewrapped herself. Nothing overtly physical had occurred.. yet… but even with the darkened room and the fact that Gibbs probably saw enough of her to stave off his imagination, she still felt the need to be discreet. He sat with his legs crossed at the ankles, left in only his boxers as he had peeled off his t-shirt once the AC atmosphere had dissipated within 20 minutes of the burnout. He nodded slowly in reply to her question. Kate placed a hand on his bare shoulder and kept it there longer than she meant to, casually flexing her fingertips over his warm skin. Looking from her hand up to his eyes, she gave him a gentle smile and his shoulder a soft squeeze before gracefully standing up.

"Pool?" Kate asked as she folded her arms in front of her, semi-self-consciously, semi-by-habit. Gibbs got up from the floor with a muffled groan that he pretended not to hear, and nodded again.

"Sure." He studied her extensively in the shadows before noticing that she was obviously waiting for something. He raised an eyebrow in silent question.

"My clothes. Where'd you _put_ them." She nodded her head vaguely as she spoke. He just smirked at her again. She sighed and raised her eyebrow, pursing her lips and cocking her head to one side. She shook her head, "It's almost light out. I am _not_ going out there without clothes.." She stated emphatically, a little laugh coating her voice.

Gibbs wet the dryness that had overcome his mouth and blinked slowly, trying to keep the amusement off of his face. He nodded down to her towel, speaking slowly, "Ya got _that_…"

"_This_.. is not clothes." Kate absently backed him into the edge of the counter. "You just want to see me naked." She said softly as she continued on, incredulously accusing him; her eyes flashed coolly, casually belying the heat that not only surrounded her, but had become very much internal.

"Already _did_ that." He said matter-of-factly. His eye contact was unwavering, but didn't seem to faze her this time around.

"You _almost.._ saw me naked." She corrected him firmly.

His eyebrows quirked and so did the corner of his mouth, which turned up slightly in the face of Kate's seriousness. "You _sure_ about that, Kate…?"

Kate looked at him blankly before her eyes fluttered, slightly flustered, and shook her head. "**Even** if you did. That doesn't give you a free pass, Agent.. _Gibbs_.." She wound up smiling, and loving the smile she got in return.

Gibbs gave in with some prompting and retrieved her clothes. He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face as she changed into her underwear, her make-shift bathing suit, in his kitchen; after insisting of course that he turn around. He smiled all the way through the backyard as his fingertips rubbed lightly at her lower back, guiding her from the deck down to the pool. Every time Kate would glance up to him, he'd manage to put his cool-resolve face back on and stare quizzically at her. She'd look away, and his smirk would return.

The sun had just begun it's ascent into the hazy morning sky; peeking gently over the horizon and streaming through the trees. Gibbs stood next to Kate by the edge of the pool; both of them staring at the water.

"You should go first." Kate said lightly. He turned his head to look at her in confusion, and laughed.

"And why is that, Katie?" Gibbs replied, hushing his voice as he dared her with her pet name. She turned to him and was caught in his eyes before she mentally shook herself out of it and continued.

"_Your_ pool…" She looked up to him and bit the inside of her lip. Truth be told, she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to jump in and have him change his mind with a chuckle and then head off to the basement. It was childish and she couldn't think of a logical reason why Gibbs would do it; but she imagined not everything about this arrangement was entirely logical. She briefly thought about the plausible hidden meaning behind her mental trepidation: She didn't want to jump into _anything_, and have him leave. She looked up to him and he titled his head down towards her, showing the concern on his face.

"How about.. we go together." He said as he ran a hand up her arm, squeezing her bicep and the slowly sliding his hand back down to her fingers. She gave him a nod as his hand soothingly assuaged the nagging of her apprehension.

Kate gave the 1-2-3 count while Gibbs chuckled-- but at "3," neither of them moved

She looked to him, "You didn't jump."

He raised his eyebrows, "Neither did you..." He shook his head and rolled his eyes as she glaringly placed a hand on her hip, "Alright, alright… 1… 2…" He couldn't believe he was counting off.

As '3' was about to seemingly roll of his tongue, he smirked suddenly and gently, forcefully, pressed his hand against the small of her back. With a drowned out yelp, Kate fell helplessly into the water. He chuckled and squatted down next to the edge; his elbows on his knees with his chin held in one of his hands, waiting for her to emerge from her impropmtu swim.

She sputtered to the surface and briefly scanned the edge of the pool before spotting him in front of her. She gaped at him for a second before shaking her head, she huffed— her tone was biting, but still laced with frustrated amusement. "Ya _know_…?" she stated in annoyance, "that was something _Dinozzo_ would have done." Gibbs just smiled and raised his eyebrows briefly in contemplation. He watched her, longingly.

Kate sighed and gracefully swam the short distance to the ledge. "Are you at _least_ going to help me out..?" She looked up at him cynically as she held up her hand to him. He smiled and took a firm hold of her; Kate squeezed his hand with a devil's smile as she gave a sharp pull, bringing him head first into the pool. _Should've seen that coming_, he thought, as his body hit the water with a wicked splash.

She softly snickered her own approval of her retribution; her laughter only amplified as he, too, sputtered to the surface, turning his head as he predatorily looked for her. Once he spotted her, he launched after her, making her flinch and recoil. As Kate made a grab for the ladder, both of her wrists were seized in one of Gibbs' hands. He held onto the ladder to steady himself and pressed her against the side of the pool, leaving an inch between their faces. Kate made several fluid, start-and-stop attempts to kiss him, but Gibbs shattered her reticence as he determinedly covered her mouth with his. Acquiescing, Kate tilted her head back while he released her wrists and brought his hand up to the side of her neck. Kate groaned as he slid the tip of his tongue across her lips, and opened to him eagerly. He swiped his tongue against hers, quietly prodding her for intensive bodily information. It was his turn to groan as she wrapped her legs securely around his waist; reflexively pressing her hips to his, scratching her fingernails lightly down the sides of his chest.

The weight of her began to slowly sink them both into the water; Gibbs gruffed as he hesitantly separated from her. He silently hoisted her up to sit on the upper step of the pool ladder, his hands gripping the hand rails to lift himself up to a little below her level as he attacked her neck; kissing and sucking at the hollow of her throat. A quiet "Guhhh" escaped her lips as she relocked her legs around his middle, holding him up as much as her strength would possibly allow.

She shakily ran her fingers up the back of Gibbs' neck and into his hair, resting them behind his ears as she tilted his face up towards her, softly but eagerly pressing her lips to his. She found herself enjoying the leverage of being a few inches higher than him; of being able to assail his mouth from above.

He slowly pulled his lips away from hers, opening his eyes with a look she recognized. She smiled faintly and murmured throatily, "Yeah... me too." Her vocal response to his intricate stare of need sparked a soft smirk in Gibbs. She kissed the corner of his mouth as she scooted off the step of the ladder and onto the edge of the pool, slowly getting up to stand on the cement. She reached her hand to him but when he went to take it, she withdrew and raised an eyebrow, "No funny stuff..." He laughed and nodded in agreement, smiling softly up at her. She nodded and lent him her hand once again, which he firmly took as he climbed out of the pool.

The sun was now up and over the horizon, glaring at the pair in a quiet prophecy of the heat that was threatening to rip through the atmosphere during the day. Kate gently nudged his arm and motioned towards the house. He took her hand and led her back inside— she subtly laced their fingers, which he looked down to and then glanced over to Kate as they reached the back door. She looked over to notice his gaze and went to release him, but he squeezed her hand and roughly pulled her to his chest.

Gibbs held tightly onto her shoulders, and examined her closely—her face, her eyes and down to her lips before returning to reestablish their eye contact. He exhaled deeply and squeezed her shoulders, leaning down to kiss her in away she deemed sincerely profound.

Slowly they made their way through the back door and into the kitchen. Never taking his lips off of her, he tested the light switch and got nothing. He mumbled against her lips, "Power's still down." All he got was an "Mmmmhmm" before his back smacked into the closed basement door. He chuckled deeply into her mouth before reaching a hand behind him to turn the knob. Opening the door, he put a hand up between them, having her reluctantly part from him. She looked to him for an explanation. He motioned to the basement with his thumb. "Stairs." She looked past him, then looked back to his face and gave a quick nod. Gibbs smirked and ushered her down the steps before closing the basement door behind him.

Kate stood at the bottom of the staircase, attentively observing the boat's wooden frame. "Wow." She whispered as she stepped towards it, running her fingertips lightly over a finely sanded plank.

Gibbs stood back and carefully minded her; he leaned against the tool bench and smiled thoughtfully. As he pushed himself away from the workbench, he slowly came up behind her, placing his hands delicately on her shoulders. He slid his hands gently down her arms, brushing his fingers against her hands before resting his palms on the bottom of her stomach, wrapping his arms around her waist. He breathed into the back of her hair, pulling her back into his chest as he nuzzled the crook of her neck. He didn't want this to stop, but—

"It doesn't have to end, Gibbs." Kate rasped softly, hearing the thoughts in his sigh and feeling them in his subtle pining. She leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder, glancing at him through the corner of her eye with a raise of an eyebrow.

He turned her around suddenly and held his grip at her waist, staring at her ardently. He backed her into one of the finished wooden planks, running his hands to her hips. "Good.." he replied gruffly, his tone was soft, but not without bite. His hands slipped over her hips, dipping his fingers into the waistband of her underwear. Her breath hitched as she leaned back against the boat, watching him intently. They both silently and passionately agreed: this would never be over.

After an hour of leisurely _'rediscovering'_ the floor beneath the boat, the two laid spent on the blankets that haphazardly covered the dark, cool cement floor. Kate slept beside him, curled into his chest with her head on his side and a soft hand on his stomach. Gibbs lay wide awake, his hands pillowing the back of his head as he stared up at his creation's framework. Looking back down at his new companion's sleeping form, he sat up slowly, gathering her in his arms. He was careful not to wake her, fairly certain the weather and the early morning's excitement had kept her awake since, God only knew when.

Surprised and relieved when he made it over to the couch without Kate stirring, he laid her down gently and pulled a sheet over her instead of the thick blanket that lay heavily across the back of the sofa. His eyes gently caressed her face as he slid his hand, phantomlike, over her side to rest on her hip. His mouth spasmed vaguely as he stood up with a sigh. Running his hands over his face and through his hair, he walked back to the boat and picked up the lone piece of sand paper that lay precariously on one of the bowed planks. Gibbs looked over to Kate as he began sanding, slow and silent. Something told him she wouldn't be disappearing with a break in the weather.

* * *

. 


End file.
